On 4^th October 2022, Kenya Private Sector Alliance (KEPSA) held a virtual meeting on the private sector's response to the current drought situation in the Country.

The meeting, which brought together representatives from different sectors of the private sector and development partners, discussed opportunities available to provide additional assistance to the affected communities including modalities for working with the Government and other stakeholders, in responding to both the emergency situation unfolding in parts of the country and finding a long-term solution to hunger due to food insecurity.

Speaking during the meeting, Dr Stephen Jackson, the United Nations Resident Coordinator for Kenya said the current drought was a result of four failed rain seasons over the last two years.

"We have not had meaningful rainfall in many parts of the country and should the rains fail between October 2022 and March 2023, then we are starting an even worse fifth season. We are already in a crisis, this is not just a natural disaster but an emergency", he said.

Dr Jackson said the UN would revise its emergency appeal for the third time to raise funds for the drought and food insecurity issues in the country. Through the appeal he added, only a quarter of the total need (USD 179 Million) has been met, enough to provide emergency rations for just two million people.

An estimated 4.5 million people in Arid and Semi-Arid Lands (ASAL) areas across 23 counties in Kenya are faced with severe food shortages as of October 2022.

Stakeholders have now called for more concerted efforts in response to the food aid appeal with contributions welcomed, both in direct cash transfers to local partners such as Kenya Red Cross and the Safaricom-driven 'Tuungane Pamoja' campaign that was launched in April this year.

"Cash transfer is more efficient and the private sector is free to exhaust the many different ways they can help remedy the situation. If in-kind support, the focus should be on under-supported needs such as sanitary towels, school bags, and education suppliers, needed to help the affected population go back to their normal lives as quickly as possible". Said Dr Jackson.

This includes supporting in due time, School feeding and livestock assets recovery and re-stocking programs while also exploring ways to create resilient livelihoods for the largely pastoral communities in the ASAL regions.

Peter Ndegwa, CEO of Safaricom, said the Pamoja Tuungane initiative had to date succeeded in raising KES 100 Million since April 2022, and which has so far distributed assorted food rations to 20,000 households thus benefiting an estimated 100,000 designed to last for two months.

"We focused primarily on Marsabit which is the most affected county by drought. This October we will be going to Isiolo thanks to the support and contributions of our fellow corporate partners who have given to the initiative and continue to do so, both in cash and in-kind", he said.

Kenyans he disclosed have so far contributed over KES 9 million through MPESA and Bonga Points donations. Others he mentioned include Naivas Supermarket, Chandaria Foundation, KCB Bank and G4S Kenya among others.

Stakeholders at the meeting urged for enhanced partnership with the national government and line ministries as well as county governments in food distribution while also calling for more localized and long-lasting solutions such as setting up dams in hard-hit communities.

"Through the Mpesa Foundation, we have been able to construct a dam in Nyalani, in the coastal region that is benefiting over 90,000 members of the community at a cost of over KES 200 Million", Said Ndegwa.

Carole Kariuki, CEO of KEPSA reiterated the need for the private sector to rally together in responding to the current emergency situation as well as working on long-term solutions to the perennial drought problem in Kenya.

"The private sector has been involved in drought mitigating initiatives before, most notably the Kenyans for Kenyans initiative. We have also partnered with the Former First Lady Margaret Kenyatta and the Kenya Red Cross among others. We need to work together with the respective Governors of these counties to address the policy gaps and also identify private sector capabilities and capacities to make this our focus initiative in the short and near term", she said.

Among the conclusions, it was agreed that;

1. The private sector interventions and support shall be channelled as either Short-term, Mid-term, or long-term solutions with a focus on addressing the immediate food shortage and livelihood needs.
2. The private sector shall champion the coordinated adoption and deployment of renewable energy solutions toward providing sustainable water supplies all year round.
3. The Private sector players shall prioritize repairs to faulty boreholes as an immediate solution to the water problem.
4. KEPSA shall host a Public / Private Partnership round-table with Governors from affected counties to discuss the long-term solutions.
5. The private sector will work together to develop a structured approach to finding creative and lasting solutions including resource mobilization both in cash and in kind.
6. A separate solutions pipeline will be developed to coordinate health sector interventions touching on malnutrition, uptake of maternal health services, and strengthening of Health facilities in the ASAL counties including supporting women and adolescent girls.
7. A minimum expenditure basket shall be put in place targeting a specific number of victims in different households.
8. There shall be coordination of Non-State Actors to have a bigger impact including Rotarians to support the initiative.
9. The National Drought Management Authority's silence should be put to task and interrogated on their implementation of the strategic framework already in place even as the private sector explores midterm and long-term solutions.
10. Strategically explore livestock de-stocking and re-stocking programs in the ASAL regions focusing on both food and livelihood supply to affected families.
11. That a small working group is set up to develop proposals for both mid-term and long-term interventions including how best to support and coordinate the delivery infrastructure on the ground.
12. That a commitment from private sector business leaders is secured as a priority to enable adequate planning in delivering already identified solutions and interventions.
13. A multi-stakeholder approach is adopted to rally all partners and initiatives with a common goal, including Safaricom's Pamoja Tuungane initiative, UN and KEPSA, Rotarian fraternity, and Media representation for adequate and timely dissemination of information. Peter Ndegwa, Carole Kariuki, and Stephen Jackson be on standby to offer guidance.
14. The Government, KEPSA, UN, and Safaricom put strategies together to work on the medium and long-term solutions to the current drought problem.